Medical Relief Beginning to Arrive in Haiti

From Medscape Medical News
Martha Kerr

January 14, 2010 — As the airport at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, reopens and supplies begin to arrive after Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, rescue workers on the ground are predicting the death toll to rise above 100,000. Approximately 3 million people — one third of the population of Haiti — have been affected.

Most of the damage is around the country's capital, and Port-au-Prince's 3 largest medical centers have been devastated.

The greatest need is for water and medical supplies, President Barak Obama said in a briefing Thursday morning, as he pledged $100 million in immediate assistance, with more to come in the days and months ahead.

"One of the largest relief efforts in recent history" is en route to Haiti, President Obama said, with 2000 US Marines being deployed from Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, today. The first waves of US rescue and relief workers are "on the ground and at work," he said.

"The president ordered a swift, coordinated, aggressive effort," Secretary of State Hilary Clinton told Meredith Viera on NBC's Today Show Thursday morning. "We've got the airport open, thanks to the US military. We've got our civilian search-and-rescue teams on the ground, thanks to [the US Agency for International Development] and [the Federal Emergency Management Agency]. We are doing all we can to figure out how best to attack the devastation all around."

"This is going to be a long-term effort," Secretary Clinton continued. "We have the immediate crisis of trying to save those lives that can be saved, to deal with the injured and the dead, to try to provide food, water, medical supplies, some semblance of shelter, and then to work with our Haitian partners, the government of Haiti, [nongovernmental organizations], others to begin the rebuilding process."

Médicins sans Frontièrs (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, is in the process of establishing a 104-bed hospital with an inflatable surgical unit, 2 operating theaters, 7 hospitalization tents, and a staff of 70 physicians and healthcare providers. Neurologists will be sent as part of the team to deal with head and crush injuries.

"There are hundreds of thousands of people who are sleeping in the streets because they are homeless," said MSF coordinator Hans van Dillen in an article on the group's Web site. "We see open fractures, head injuries. The problem is that we cannot forward people to proper surgery at this stage."

Transportation is severely disrupted, and supplies and medical staff will be approaching the affected area through the Dominican Republic, said Mr. van Dillen.

MSF is working to get more staff into the country, and the organization is also concerned about the safety of its own staff of 800 in Haiti, some of whom have not yet been accounted for.

Call for Healthcare Workers

Partners in Health of Boston, Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization "focusing on delivery of quality health care in poor communities," with ties to Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital, issued this statement:

"We are deeply grateful for the multitude of people who have contacted us wanting to provide medical assistance. As patients flood to our sites from Port-au-Prince, we're finding ourselves in need of both medical personnel and supplies. In particular, we need surgeons (especially trauma/orthopedic surgeons), ER doctors and nurses, and full surgical teams (including anesthesiologists, scrub and post-op nurses, and nurse anesthetists).

"If you are a health professional interested in volunteering, please send an email to volunteer@pih.org with information on your credentials, language capabilities (Haitian Creole or French desired), availability, and contact information."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, has an advisory for healthcare relief workers and volunteers.
The CDC cautions, "Because of their potential exposures, relief workers are at increased risk for illness and injuries.
In addition, they should be aware of potential hazards, such as downed power lines and security measures that may be imposed (e.g., curfews to prevent looting).
Those who provide assistance should also pay attention to their mental health needs before, during, and after their time in the field.
Moreover, because relief workers' services are desperately needed, it is essential that workers remain healthy during their trip.
In addition to this notice, relief workers should refer to the general regional travel recommendations for their specific travel destination."

The American Red Cross (ARC) says it is "contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund to support the relief operation, and has opened its warehouse in Panama to provide tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families."

The group is also sending 6 disaster management specialists to the disaster zone to help coordinate relief efforts.

"At this time, the [ARC] is only deploying volunteers specially trained to manage international emergency operations," ARC officials stress. "We are not accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti. If you would like to volunteer for the [ARC], please contact your local chapter." Ten dollars, charged to the sender's cell phone, can be donated to the Red Cross by texting "HAITI" to "90999." The group has received $3 million since that service was established 36 hours ago.